Earwigs
On November 30th 2012, I caught a pincher bug by digging out of the dirt from my backyard. This earwig is very common and can be found all around the United States. The collection data for specimen 1 is provided in table 1.
Table 1: Collection Data USA, CA, Riverside Co.
24976 lemon avenue, 1453 ft
30-XI-2012, Breanna Sayre
Dug out of the dirt
The Pincher bug belongs to the Order called Dermaptera also known as the earwigs. They have long flat bodies, chewing mouthparts, 2 pair of wings, and large cerci on their abdomen. Their cerci is one of their major distinctions, they use this to catch prey, for defense, and when trying to mate. Another defense mechanism that they have is located on their glands of their abdomen which makes a noxious chemical liquid come out and scare off predators. They are mostly omnivorous scavengers but some are predators and parasitic.
They are nocturnal and usually can be found hiding underneath things or in little nooks. For example, when I lifted up a rock in my backyard it revealed three earwigs and I dug up this one from the dirt with a mini hand held shovel. I chose the earwig not because it was the most interesting insect to me but because it is one of the most common insects on my dads’ property. I thought it would be interesting to learn more about them since I see them so often. One thing that I found was interesting abut the earwigs is that the females do show some maternal care by protecting their young nymphs. They build burrows and lay them together which protects them. Bibliography:
Floyd, R. 2004. Earwig. http://ipm.illinois.edu/hyg/insects/earwig/index.html.
Sexton, C. 2008. Earwigs. Bellwether Media Inc, 11-21. Terry, M. 2011. Earwigs: AKA the "Pincher Bug."
Table 1: Collection Data USA, CA, Riverside Co.
24976 lemon avenue, 1453 ft
30-XI-2012, Breanna Sayre
Dug out of the dirt
The Pincher bug belongs to the Order called Dermaptera also known as the earwigs. They have long flat bodies, chewing mouthparts, 2 pair of wings, and large cerci on their abdomen. Their cerci is one of their major distinctions, they use this to catch prey, for defense, and when trying to mate. Another defense mechanism that they have is located on their glands of their abdomen which makes a noxious chemical liquid come out and scare off predators. They are mostly omnivorous scavengers but some are predators and parasitic.
They are nocturnal and usually can be found hiding underneath things or in little nooks. For example, when I lifted up a rock in my backyard it revealed three earwigs and I dug up this one from the dirt with a mini hand held shovel. I chose the earwig not because it was the most interesting insect to me but because it is one of the most common insects on my dads’ property. I thought it would be interesting to learn more about them since I see them so often. One thing that I found was interesting abut the earwigs is that the females do show some maternal care by protecting their young nymphs. They build burrows and lay them together which protects them. Bibliography:
Floyd, R. 2004. Earwig. http://ipm.illinois.edu/hyg/insects/earwig/index.html.
Sexton, C. 2008. Earwigs. Bellwether Media Inc, 11-21. Terry, M. 2011. Earwigs: AKA the "Pincher Bug."
Bibliography: Floyd, R. 2004. Earwig. http://ipm.illinois.edu/hyg/insects/earwig/index.html. Sexton, C. 2008. Earwigs. Bellwether Media Inc, 11-21. Terry, M. 2011. Earwigs: AKA the "Pincher Bug." http://m.blueskypest.com/pages/earwigs.